The Houthi movement claimed to have conducted ballistic missile and drone strikes against an Aramco oil facility near Riyadh on Saturday, stating the attacks resulted in significant fires. The Iran-backed armed group made these assertions as conflict with government forces in Yemen continues to intensify.
A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government rejected the Houthi claims as misleading. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki suggested the group was attempting to divert public attention away from mounting casualties and internal discontent. He further characterized the Houthis’ connections to external interests as sources of instability and destruction throughout Yemen, noting particular difficulties the group faces in the Taiz region.
According to a spokesman for Yemen’s government forces, Yemeni military operations on Saturday included 257 precision strikes against Houthi positions, movements, and military infrastructure, with preliminary casualty estimates placing rebel losses at approximately 700 fighters. In response, the Saudi-led coalition conducted 97 targeting operations early on Sunday focused on Houthi reinforcements along the Tor al-Baha front and Taiz axis, employing warplanes, drones, artillery, missiles, and sniper units.
The conflict has escalated significantly following the collapse of a ceasefire arrangement in July, which had been in place since 2022. Recent developments include a Houthi advance that captured the port city of Mocha and strategic islands in the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a critical shipping corridor for global petroleum transport, before anti-Houthi forces managed to stabilize defensive positions. The broader Yemeni conflict traces back to 2014, when Houthi forces took control of the capital Sanaa, compelling the government to relocate its operations to Aden and triggering years of sustained warfare.
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